It would seem Perth Glory have found the magic formula, play flashy, attacking football while also winning games.
Long regarded as the Hyundai A-League’s chief entertainers, Glory were often far too leaky and almost incapable of seeing out games.
REPORT: Glory go nine points clear with record mauling of Roar
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Unsurprisingly that’s all changed under a certain Tony Popovic and after a dominant 4-0 win over Brisbane Roar at HBF Park on Saturday night, even he was able to crack a smile.
Known for his defensive nous, Popovic was waxing lyrical about his side’s attacking threat as they raced to a 3-0 lead at half-time.
“I try and enjoy it more, especially tonight anyway,” Popovic said with a wry smile post-match.
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“We’ll all reflect on the game and enjoy some of the great passages of play that we showed. The great football we played, the great goals we scored.
“But then it ends because tomorrow morning you have to prepare for the next match and that’s what the job is. Hopefully we can enjoy some good moments at the end of the year.”
A smart Jason Davidson finish and an Andy Keogh brace had the Glory primed at the break and the performance was topped off in the second half courtesy of captain Diego Castro.
Popovic said he was more than happy with the win that took them nine points clear atop the Hyundai A-League ladder.
“Delighted with the result and the performance,” he said.
“In some aspects I thought the second half was better than the first although we got three goals in the first half.
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“We were very professional in the second half, we didn’t give any chances to Brisbane and at the other end their young keeper made some great saves and it could have been a lot more.”
Roar interim manager Darren Davies lambasted his side’s inability to make their chances count after Jacob Pepper went close to opening the scoring but said Perth deserved all the plaudits they get.
“I thought the first 20 minutes we were in the game, we spoke about the start and I thought we started ok,” Davies said.
“I thought we had the first clear chance in the game with Pepper’s header just wide and then Perth came into the game.
“They caused us problems, Ikonomidis was good for them, we conceded poor goals from our point of view but let’s give Perth credit, they’re a very good side and they’re top of the league for a reason.”